Can making machine



1942! P. E. ECKMAN I 2,270,282

CAN MAKING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1940 I 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 20, 1942. P. E. ECKMAN CAN MAKING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N v m Q Q m \N G H Q Q MN N R \m. MN wN Q Q SM 1942'- P. E. ECl (MAN 2,270,282

CAN MAKING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR fizzy E M 10 Patented Jan. 20, 1942 CAN MAKING MACHINE Philip E. Eckman, Seattle, -Wash., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 2, 1940, Serial No. 327,505 Claims. (Cl. 209-88) The present invention relates to can making machines or the like in which sheet material blanks tobe operated upon are propelled along a predetermined path of travel in a continuous procession and has particular reference to mechanism for ejecting double thicknesses of blanks from the moving procession when such occur.

An object of the invention is the provision of a double blank ejector mechanism for a can making machine or the like wherein two blanks sticking together and forming a double thickness when inadvertently present in a normal procession of single thickness blanks will be ejected from the procession without in any way interfering with the other blanks in the procession or without stopping the continued movement of the procession.

Another object is the provision of such an ejector mechanism wherein the ejected double blanks are in no way distorted or injured so that they may be returned to the procession of single blanks after being separated and thereby eliminate or greatly reduce spoilage 'due to such ejection step.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a can body making machine embodying the instant invention, with parts broken away: and

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views taken substantially along the lines 22, 3-3, 4-4 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away.

As a preferred embodiment of the invention the drawings illustrate principal parts of a sheet metal can body making machine of the character disclosed in United States Patent 1,625,091,

issued April 19, 1927, to John F. Peters, on Can body making machine. In such a machine rectangular can body blanks A are fed in a continuous procession along a predetermined path of travel and are rolled into cylindrical can body shape preparatory to having the side seam edges of the blank incorporated in a side seam to produc the tubular can body.

In this machine the blanks A are fed longitudinally of the machine along a table II (Figs. 1 and 2) by a pair of spaced and parallel feed bars l2 having spring pressed feed dogs l3 spaced along the bars. These feed bars slide back and forth in slideways M which form part of the table II. The feed bars are reciprocated in unison by a connecting link 15 which is actuated in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine.

Thus as the feed bars I2 move. through a forward stroke a blank A is advanced one step and as the bars return the blank remains stationary until the next forward stroke. In this manner the feed bars move the blank in a step-by-step advancement along the table in the direction of arrow B in Fig.- 1.

During this advancement the blanks A moving in the procession are maintained in a straight line path of travel by a pair of side guide rails l6 which are secured to the table adjacent its outer edges. These rails are formed with overhanging inner edge sections H which together with a centrally disposed holddown bar 18 prevent lateral displacement of the blanks.

The blanks thus fed along the table II are introduced into a cross feed station C where they are transferred endwise or transversely of the machine in the direction of the arrow X shown in Fig. 1 at this station. At this station the feed bars l2 bring the foremost blank in the procession into engagement with a pair of gauge fingers 2| which insure that the blank is positioned properly at the cross feed station.

These fingers are mounted on a pivot shaft 22 which is carried in a stationary sleeve 23 secured blocks 25 and bolted to the blank hold-down bar I8 by long bolts 26 which extend through the spacer blocks.

Coiled tension springs 3| wrapped around the outer ends of the sleeve 23 maintain the gauge fingers 2| in gauging position as shown in Fig. 4. One end of each spring is secured in the sleeve while the other end is hooked over the finger. These springs ar sufliciently strong to hold the fingers in gauging position but will yield to permit the fingers to swing upwardly when an undue force is exerted against them as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

When the fingers 2! are in gauging position as shown in Fig. 4 their free ends rest upon the table I I and are disposed in recesses 33 formed in the top of the table. The free endsof the fingers are formed with gauging notches 34 and it isagainst these notches that the blank is brought for gauging at the cross feed station C.

A blank A deposited at the cross feed station C is in endwise alignment with a cross feed bar 4! disposed in a T slot 42 formed in a table extension 43. The feed bar is formed with a recess '45 which accommodates a long feed dog 46 mounted on a pivot pin 41 secured in the feed bar.

A fiat leaf spring 48 secured to the feed bar bears down against the rear end of the feed dog and thereby holds its forward feed end in a position which projects above the top of the feed bar. The bar is preferably reciprocated on a forward or feeding stroke and a rearward or return stroke by a link 49 which may be actuated in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine.

When one single thickness of blank is positioned at the cross feed station C, the dog 46 of the cross feed bar 4| on its forward stroke engages behind the adjacent end edge of the blank and pushes the blank endwise and transversely of the machine into a can body forming station D (Figs. 1 and 2). At this station the leading edge of the blank is caught between a pair of constantly rotating feed rollers 53 which draw the blank in and force it against a forming or deflecting tool 54.

The forming tool 54 curls the blank into a cylindrical can body shape and the body thus formed wraps itself around a mandrel 55 disposed above the feed rollers 53 and forming tool 54. Sidewings 55 which surround the mandrel retain the formed body in place thereon. This is a usual can body forming device such as described and explained in the hereinbefore mentioned Peters patent.

When two blanks A stick together and pass along the table II into the cross feed station C they are immediately ejected at this station by a double blank ejector mechanism which will now be described. This mechanism includes a double blank detecting roller 6| (Fig. 2) Which is disposed in the path of travel of a blank entering the cross feed station and which is located just above the blank so that it will not be engaged by the normal singl thickness of blank but will be raised by a double thickness of blanks.

The roller 6| is adjustably mounted on the inner end of a lever 62 carried on a pivot pin 63 secured in a bracket 64 bolted to the side of the machine table I. The roller is maintained in a predetermined spaced relation, as to the top of the table II, by an adjustable stop screw 66 which engages against the outer end of the lever $2. This stop screw is threaded into a cross-bar (51 which is bolted to the bracket 64.

The outer end of the lever 62 carries an adjustable setscrew H which may be locked in place after setting by a locknut 12. Thi screw engages against an actuating arm 73 mounted on a pivot pin 14 (see also Fig. 3) carried in projecting lugs 75 of the bracket 64. The weight of the arm is carried by a coiled tension spring Tl. One end of the spring is hooked over the cross bar while its opposite end is hooked into the free inner end of the arm. The free end of the arm 13 i disposed directly over the forward end of the feed dog 46 in the cross feed bar 4| and is retained just above it but normally does not touch it so that it will not interfere with the cross feeding of normal thickness blanks.

Thus when double blanks enter the cross feed station C they ride under the detector roller 6| and because of the extra thickness the roller is shifted upwardly. This raising of the roller rocks its carrying lever 62 and thus forces the setscrew on its outer end down against the actuating arm '53. The pressure on the actuating arm depresses it against the resistance of its holding spring T1 and its inner free end is thus forced down onto the feed end of the feed dog 46. This depresses the feed end of the dog forcing it down into the feed bar recess 45, where it is below the top surface of the bar.

Hence when the cross feed bar 4| moves forward on its. feeding stroke the depressed feed dog does not engage the double blanks but rides thereunder. This leaves the double blank at the cross feed station instead of its being fed into the forming station D which is the normal procedure. However, on the next forward or blank advancing stroke of the main feed bars |2 the forward or end feed dogs |3 on the bars engage behind the double blanks and push them further longitudinally of the table II. This removes the blanks from the cross feed station. The blanks thu removed fall off the inner end of the table II and into a double blank bin 8| carried on the end of the table.

During this ejection of the double blanks the gauge fingers 2| are pushed upwardly and out of the way so that the blanks pass under them on their way to the bin 8|. As soon as the blanks pass the gauge fingers snap back into gauging position to properly locate the next or following blank which is being brought into the cross feed station C while the double blanks are being ejected.

Thus the ejection of the double thickness of blanks is readily and positively effected without in any way stopping or interfering with the operation of the main feed bars l2. Hence the procession of blanks advancing through the machine continues to move along in the usual manner, even when double thickness blanks in the procession are removed.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a can making machine, the combination of feeding devices for advancing individual can body blanks along a predetermined path of travel in a continuous procession, cross feed devices for feeding the blanks along a different path of travel, detector instrumentalities adjacent the path of travel of the blanks for detecting double thickness of blanks in the procession, and means operable by said detector instrumentalities for depressing said cross feed devices beneath said detected double thickness of blanks thereby rendering said cross feed devices ineffective for feeding purposes to permit ejection of said double thickness blanks from the procession while maintaining the feeding devices in full operation.

2. In a can making machine, the combination of feeding devices for advancing individual can body blanks along a predetermined path of travel in a continuous procession, cross feed devices for feeding the blanks along a different path of travel, a detector roller disposed in the path of travel of the blanks so that it will not be engaged by a blank of single thickness but will be engaged by blanks of double thickness, a movable element on which said detector roller is carried, and means connected with said element and operable by said roller for depressing said cross feed devices beneath said detected double thickness of blanks thereby rendering said cross feed devices ineffective for feeding purposes to permit ejection of said double thickness blanks from the procession while maintaining the feeding devices in full operation.

3. In a can making machine, the combination of main feeding devices for advancing individual can body blanks along a predetermined path of travel in a continuous procession into a cross feed station, cross feed devices at said station for feeding the blanks along another path of travel, detector instrumentalities at said station for detecting blanks of double thickness when fed into the station, and means operable by said detector instrumentalities for depressing said cross feed devices beneath said detected double thickness of blanks thereby rendering said cross feed devices inefiective while maintaining them in full operation when said double thickness blanks are detected, said main feeding devices ejecting said double thickness blanks simultaneously with the entrance of a succeeding blank into the cross feed station, thereby preventing stopping of the feed devices While ejecting the undesired blanks.

4. In a can making machine, the combination of main feeding devices for advancing individual can body blanks along a predetermined path of travel in a continuous procession into a cross feed station, yieldable gauge devices at said station for locating a blank introduced thereinto, cross feed devices at said station for feeding the blanks along another path of travel, detector instrumentalities at said station for detecting a blank of double thickness when fed into the station, and means operable by said detector instrumentalities for depressing said cross feed devices beneath said detected double thickness of lanks thereby rendering said cross feed devices ineffective while maintaining them in full operation when a double thickness blank is detected, said main feeding devices ejecting said double thickness blank past said yieldable gauge devices simultaneously with the entrance of a succeeding blank into the cross feed station, said gauge devices returning to gauging position upon the ejection of said double thickness blank so that they will gauge the incoming blank thereby preventing stopping of the feed devices while ejecting the undesired blank.

5. In a can making machine, the combination of a slide bar having a plurality of spaced feed dogs for advancing individual can body blanks in J a step-by-step manner along a predetermined path of travel leading into a cross feed station and having an ejecting feed dog disposed adjacent said cross feed station for ejecting a double thickness blank therefrom, a cross feed bar at said station and having a depressible feed dog for normally engaging a blank introduced into said station and for feeding said blank along another path of travel, a detector roller disposed at said station and engageable by blanks of double thickness coming into the station, a lever on which said roller is carried, an actuating arm engaged by said detecting lever and having a free end disposed adjacent the depressible feed dog in said cross feed bar, said actuating arm depressing said feed dog and holding it depressed when such double thickness of blanks is detected thereby preventing the cross feeding of said double thickness blanks and permitting the same to be ejected by the ejecting feed dog on said slide bar when the latter brings a succeeding blank into said station.

PHILIP E. ECKMAN. 

